Finding Home - A New Scott
by RosygV
Summary: When Dan left Rachel, he didn't leave her on her own. Seventeen years later, Ryan Penelope Scott, sick of her tumultuous and dark life, flees to the place that might hold the love, the family, the home and the salvation she desperately craves for. After all, there's only one Tree Hill.
1. Chapter 1

Finding Home - A new Scott

CHAPTER 1

Dawn broke in the sky as Ryan drove past the sign that read she was entering the state of North Carolina, in the yet unknown for her East Coast of the U.S. She'd been driving for hours non stop, and if it weren't for the blinding sun rays that filtered through her car's glasses, she wouldn't have noticed she hadn't had any sleep the previous night, but to Ryan, it was like any other night of her so called "journey to the truth", as she liked to think about the past week, which she had spent riding straight from Los Angeles. Destiny, Tree Hill, a small population located at the south coast of the state. The night before that, Ryan had slept at a crappy motel in the middle of South Carolina, so she was sure she'd be arriving to Tree Hill in an hour or so, maybe less if she reached speed limit. After a week of hitting the road, Ryan still couldn't get used to the sight of the countryside, of green fields instead of skyscrapers, and clean air instead of smog in her lungs. Having being on her own for more that she expected to, she desperately wanted to socialize, like the butterfly inside of her.

Heaviness started to plague her eyelids, so she turned up the radio to distract herself a little. The station was playing an old song by Chris Keller, one of her favorite singers when she was young. She enjoyed his voice, but mostly, by the interviews she had watched of him, she loved his cocky but likable attitude. She hummed to herself the lyrics of song after song, a little bit of Queen, of that new "pop princess", some throwback songs of the real pop princess Britney, and some old school rap her girl friends would laugh, until time flew by, and suddenly she was speeding by the Tree Hill entrance sign. She entered the town, slowing down to stop and stare at her surroundings. When Ryan was a little girl, she used to go to sleep after her mother told her stories of her old life in Tree Hill, of the marvelous people that lived there, and of the family Ryan had never gotten to known, until now, she hoped.

It was too early to even properly function, or to find an open local at least, so Ryan drove around the town for a while, speeding all she wanted and getting to know the places her mother used to talked about, passing the famous Karen's Café diner, Tree Hill High, and of course, the river court. She parked her car, stepped out of it, and headed to sit on the table besides the court. Tree Hill's coastline was a sight to really enjoy, so she sat in silence, killing time. Her eyelids were closing, her consciousness slipping, until..

"Isn't it too early for a teen to be awake on summer vacations?" A deep, male Voice, asked, coming from behind and approaching. Ryan turned around and faced an average-height man, probably in his forties, wearing sportive clothes. He smiled at her, and Ryan dismissed the suspicion of him being a kidnapper. _His smile is too nice to be_, she thought.

"Yes, sir, it is," she answered, chuckling, "I actually arrived here this morning, and I'm kind of lost."

The man eyed her slightly and spoke.

"Well, what can I do for you, girlie?"

Ryan inhaled quickly, nervous for what she was about to ask.

"Do you know where I can find Nathan Scott?" Her voice came out squeaky, product of her nerves.

The man raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Um, yes, but if I may ask, why for?" He said.

Ryan thought twice before speaking. "I'm the daughter of an old friend of his, and he's expecting me." The lie came out swiftly, as if her words were true.

"Oh," the man exclaimed, "in that case sure, let me show you where he lives."

He then proceeded to indicate how to reach the Scott household, and after he was done, Ryan thanked him and left. The ride to the Scotts' lasted for just some minutes. She reached the street the man told her to encounter a big, no, scratch that, enormous mansion at the end of it. Ryan parked her car outside the main doors, and checked her watch. It was almost 8 o'clock in the morning.

" _It's now or never R.P_" she thought, "_Screw it_".

Her finger pressed the ringing bell, and awaited for someone to come out. Not even a second after, the door creaked open, and Ryan choked in her own saliva. In front of her, there was a boy, who looked not a day older that 21, with the deepest blue eyes she'd ever seen staring and her own blue ones. His hair was also a similar shade to hers, golden brown nearing blond.

"Hi" he said, smiling at the strange girl standing at his door step. Ryan stood, frozen and speechless, clutching her bag of support. The boy waited for her to speak, but when she didn't, he intended to close the door on her face. That's when Ryan reacted.

"Wait! I'm sorry for startling you," she apologized, rather in rush, "are you Nathan Scott?" She asked to the boy, and he laughed.

"God no, I'm way to young to be him," he said, "Dad!" He shouted, "there's a girl looking for you!" The boy left the doorstep, and was replaced by an tall, older man of raven dark hair, and, again, startling blue eyes.

"Hello, who are you?" Nathan, Ryan assumed, asked politely.

_Wow, mother didn't mention my family was that HOT._

"Excuse me?" Nathan asked again, estranged by the girl and her commentary.

_Shit_, she was thinking out loud.

"Sorry, sorry, are you really Nathan Scott?"

"Yes of course young lady, but who are you for the matter?" Ryan was so nervous she could barely manage to spit words out her mouth.

"I'm Ryan, Ryan Penelope Scott," she announced as she awkwardly extended her hand to shake, " I'm Dan Scott's daughter."

Nathan went wide eyed, and stared at the girl incredulously. She looked no older than eighteen, and her eyes were full of uncertainty and fear. Still, Nathan, as always, got mad.

"What?!" He exclaimed, a bit rudely, but Ryan brushed it off. She was expecting this.

"What you heard... Brother. Nice to meet you, I'm your sister."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : HELLO LOVELY OTH LOVERS! I'm so glad so many of you visited and read the first chapter, and hopefully liked it as much as I do. As you may have noticed, this is a sort of OTH Next Generation AU, being Ryan Scott the main character. I have really interesting arcs planned for this story, so I hope you READ, REVIEW AND PM ME, for whatever you'd like to tell me, I accept all kinds of criticism. Before letting you read the second chapter, I'll leave you a list of the next generation / O.C.'s and their respective cast I'm planning to include so you can imagine them as you go on reading and fit they're place into the big Scott-Baker-Evans "family." Also, this story is set in 2032, about 20 years after the 9th season finale, and Haley, Nathan, Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton are 44, while Julian is 47, Clay 48, and Quinn 45.**

**Ryan Penelope Scott (Willa Holland) 17 years old**

**James Lucas Scott (Chace Crawford) 25 years old**

**Sawyer Brooke Scott (Blake Lively) 19 years old**

**Lydia Bob Scott (Zoey Deutch) 17 years old**

**Karlie Kennedy-Scott (Zendaya Coleman) Leyton's adopted daughter. 16 years old**

**Jude Baker (an extremely young Rob Lowe) 16 years old**

**Davis Baker (Logan Lerman) 16 years old**

**Logan Evans (Douglas Booth) 23 years old**

**I Hope you enjoy this story as much as I do and please review with everything you've got to say!**

**See you soon guys.**

**Disclaimer: Everything except my oc's belong to OTH creators.**

* * *

Even if Dan had saved his life at the expense of his own one, the first thing Nathan thought after leaving the funeral so many years ago, was how lucky his family and him were of finally getting rid of the trouble his simple presence seemed to bring upon them. Now, almost 20 years later, the only thing he could think about was how much he needed him again, because he was clueless as hell on how to handle this situation.

The girl standing at his doorstep, Ryan, as she called herself, stood expectantly while her words weighted on him, unsure of how to act or what to say.

_Dan Scott's daughter._

_His sister._

A sister! How was that even possible? People could mistake the girl as his kid, because, looking carefully, they did share some traits, such as the unmistakeable blue eye shade, the squared, defined jaw, and the stubborn eye gleam Dan, Lucas, Jamie, Sawyer, Lydia and himself had. Ryan looked like a Scott through and through, but the thing was, if she were really Dan's child, wouldn't have he spoken about her before dying? Mentioned her at all? Nathan's mind generated a million questions in a single second, wanting to know everything about what was going on.

Meanwhile, Ryan's fatigue threatened to take over her body, and she profoundly refused to pass out in front of her new found brother, so she cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Are you going to invite me in to talk or what?" She asked jokingly, "'Cause I'm damn sure you want to hear whatever I've got to say, am I right?" A smirk crept onto her lips, wanting to ease the tension, but it only managed to freak Nathan out more, because he could recognize that smirk anywhere. It was his trademark.

He managed to mumble a quiet yes, and stepped aside to let her enter his house. As soon as she got a glance at the house's insides, Ryan let out a long whistle, impressed.

_Bigger and definitely nicer than home,_ she thought, and she followed Nathan to the kitchen, where Pretty Boy, her nephew _"weird as hell"_, she assumed, and a short woman were having breakfast, talking cheerfully. The woman spotted Nathan and grinned like a boy in Christmas Eve, but not before sneaking a peak at the young girl behind her beloved husband.

"Good morning baby," the woman put her arms around Nathan's and pecked him in the lips, ignoring the disgusted looks of both Ryan and her son.

"Hi Hales," he told his wife, quickly smiling, "We need to talk, now."

Haley's smile faded noticeably at his voice's tone, but composed herself at the same moment. The girl was staring at her, with a weary but slouchy posture. Who was she?

"Sure honey, let's go outside," Haley said, taking Nathan's hand, "Jamie sweetie, please stay inside with..."

"Ryan," Ryan answered dryly, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise" Haley responded, kind of taken aback, then leaving with her husband by the back door.

Ryan was left alone with Pretty Boy, _"Jamie, your nephew you pedophile"_ she reminded herself, and more relaxed than before, walked towards the couch, and before Jamie could say anything to her, fell asleep, letting all her emotional and physical exhaustion to engulf her.

* * *

Of all the ridiculous and unbelievable things Haley James Scott had heard in her entire 43 years of life, this took home the price for most ridiculous, and yet most logic one ever. Just as Nathan, she was dumbfounded.

"She said she's what?!" Haley exclaimed heatedly, pacing around the edge of the pool.

"Are you paying attention Haley? She said she's my sis.." Nathan started again, but Haley interrupted him.

"Of course I am Nathan, I'm just trying to figure it all out," she breath out, frustrated, "I mean, what if it's another bitch lying for money? Another Renee wanting money and fast fame?"

"I suspected so Hales, but if she were to get me, she would've said she's my child, not Dan's," Nathan said, and Haley couldn't help to agree with her husband's argument.

Damn logic.

"Ugh you're right," she gave in, defeated,"It's just that life has been great this last decade, no drama, no psychos, no car crashes for god's sake," her voice quivered at this point, "And now she shows up at our doorstep wanting God knows what and I can't help but feel she will somehow bring chaos into our lives and..."

Haley's rambling was interrupted when Nathan pulled her into his chest for a comforting hug. Both of them sighed and held onto each other dearly.

"Nothing is going to change okay? We'll pull this through together baby," He kissed his wife's head and then proceeded to look into her eyes, "Always.."

"And forever," Haley whispered, full of hope. They stayed silent for several minutes, enjoying each other's company, but soon Haley broke the hug, and sat down on the ground. Nathan followed her.

"We need to call Lucas," Nathan announced, pulling his phone out of his back pocket, "I mean he is as involved in this as I am and, judging at by how Ryan showed up with exhausted eyes and only a backpack with her, she probably has this soap opera-ish story waiting to be told."

"I'll call everyone while you start talking to her okay?" Haley said, holding his hand in support, "Should I call Brooke, Quinn and the rest?"

"I think just Brooke will do, considering she's the only one beside the family who knew Dan as we did, tell Lucas to bring Peyton and the girls too, the more the merrier."

Haley laughed slightly, nodded in agreement and attempted to call him, but the door cracked open behind them. Jamie came out and barged in between his parents.

"I know we Scotts have a lot of drama in our veins guys but," He looked at his parents seriously, before cracking a really, really attractive grin on his face, "Can you explain why is there a really strange and hot girl passed out on our couch?"

* * *

_"We want our damn money kid, we've waited too long."_

_Ryan tried to shut the door on their faces, but the bully didn't let go. "I know she's taken her time, but I promise that I'll talk to her when she returns," she pleaded to the men. "I honestly don't know what she's into so please leave," the men stayed unnerved as they advanced into the apartment. She lost her nerve as she saw a knife being drawn near her._

_"Stop, stop! Please!"_

"WAKE UP!"

_What?_

Ryan opened her eyes, not recognizing her surroundings. She was shaking, blinded by the fear her nightmares, which were occurring more often now, produced. Her vision cleared, and Ryan instantly blushed furiously. Nathan, Haley, Jamie, and two other blond adults sat facing her with worried expressions.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Ryan turned her head to the left and encountered a, literal,blonde bombshell smiling at her. She didn't look quite as old as Jamie, but it was easy to notice she was older than her.

"Yeah thanks," Ryan mumbled, stretching her arched back, "I just had a bad dream."

The blonde grinned in relief and nearly jumped off her feet to stand up.

"Great! I'm Sawyer Scott, the bundle of joy of this gloomy family," she threw a funny look to the quintet over there, and tuck her tongue out at them, "So anyways, are you my cousin or what? Please let it be that and not a long lost half sister." Sawyer said that as a joke, but Ryan stiffened at the blonde's words, clearly affected by them.

"Sawyer, not the time for jokes sunshine," the blond man scolded her, and she shrugged indifferently. "Hello Ryan, I'm Lucas Scott."

"And I'm Peyton Sawyer, Lucas' wife."

"There are more Scotts?" Ryan asked, genuinely surprised. She looked at Nathan for confirmation, and he nodded. Ryan's hands covered her face in frustration.

_"Damn it mother,"_ she thought, angrily.

So many people, so many questions, so little patience.

"Okay," Ryan said through her teeth, "You're probably wondering who..."

Her starting speech was interrupted by the door, which was opened loudly, and the entrance of two bouncy brunettes, laughing about something they were talking about.

"'Sup errrr'one we're back!" One of them, an olived skin tall girl, shouted, strolling into the living room. The other one, shorter and fairer, entered too and both of them looked at everyone strangely and confusingly. Family meetings were usually held in the evenings, not at seven a.m. on a summer Wednesday.

"More strangers, yuppy!" Ryan couldn't help but exclaim sarcastically, earning a fiery glare from the short but still bouncy girl. Haley looked at the shorty, but the girl didn't seem to care.

"Well, I think the stranger is you because this is my house honey," Lydia Bob Scott told Ryan,smugly, "Who the hell are you?"

"Language Lydia," Nathan warned, the same way as Lucas had done with Sawyer. Lydia rolled her eyes at him. Everyone got quiet, and waited.

Ryan then spoke, quite irritated.

"As I was saying before being interrupted," she started, glancing at the teens, "My name is.."

A loud door crack shut her up, again.

"I'm here!" A raspy, but strong voice echoed around the house, and with her signature amount confidence, Brooke Davis Baker stepped into the room.

"Sorry I'm late but I didn't know what the emergency was," she said, greeting her best friends Peyton, Haley and her nieces with kisses on the cheeks.

"Did you invite the whole damn town?!" Ryan snapped angrily and annoyed. She was supposed to be meeting her family, not going around a social rendezvous.

Brooke didn't recognize the young snappy voice, so she turned her head and looked at Ryan's. Her smile faltered.

"Holy shit," Brooke said, gaining everyone's attention. Brooke wasn't the one to swear at all when she talked.

"Do I know you?" Ryan asked the woman. Brooke's stare was making her feel very uncomfortable, like if the older woman was scrutinizing her, looking for past mistakes. Brooke furrowed her eyebrows, and stumbled some words before speaking rightly.

"No, but I do know you girlie," she said softly, paused, and breath out.

"You're Rachel's daughter."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Hey guys! Chapter 3 was already written but i was away on a holiday so i couldn't post anything. Hope you like it and i'll try to update soon! Read and review lovelies.**

* * *

Los Angeles County 

Name: Ryan Penelope Scott

Date of birth: July 5th, 2015

Place of birth: Los Angeles, California

Mother: Rachel Virginia Gatina

Father: Daniel Robert Scott

The birth certificate was passed around Nathan, Haley, Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, and then back to Lucas, who read it over and over again, almost memorizing every single word. The Scott cousins were sitting close to each other, whispering amongst them, and then revising the certificate. Ryan remembered the day she found it. She had gone snooping around her mother's room to try and find some money to pay for a takeout dinner, and after accidentally breaking an already cracked vase, she discovered a pile of dusty papers and pictures. A younger self of her mother appeared in most of them with different boys by her side, but in a bunch of them she appeared along a younger Brooke, Ryan acknowledged, and a cute, naive looking boy at different spots of Tree Hill. Under those pictures were, surprisingly, several photos of Ryan when she was a newborn, and, finally, her official documents, with the identity of her birth father in them.

Peyton sighed. When she had found out about Dan's new marriage through a short phone call by a very annoyed Haley, the last thing that she had thought they'd create besides havoc, was, well, a life.

"Momma Rachel, that's actually a good plot twist," she told Ryan, "And finding out this about Dan honestly doesn't surprise me at all."

"Didn't grandpa Dan and slutty Rachel divorced like a year after their marriage mom?" Sawyer asked bluntly. Ryan tried to feel offended by the commentary, but even she couldn't deny her mother's habits.

"I remember grandma Rachel," commented Jamie, remembering the woman who put her mother on the edge so many years ago, "She's quite the sight."

"I guess you guys knew her better than I do then," Ryan said, twisting her long hair on her fingers. Noticing everyone was keeping silence, she readied herself to finally tell her story.

"I was born in LA seventeen years ago, and ever since I can remember, my life's never been singing and sewing. Money was a tough issue for us two. Rachel," her mother's name rolled awkwardly off her mouth, "worked as a waitress whenever I was at school, and as a child spent the afternoons helping me with my homework, trying to act all homey on me.. But then, at nights, she'd go out and then come back really, really late. She'd put on extremely revealing outfits, obviously not appropriate for a "date", which was what she told me she did when I started asking why she left me alone in one of East LA's worst neighborhoods. Eventually, she told me she worked as a "dancer", but c'mon, I'm not that oblivious. She was a stripper, or a hooker, I didn't bother to ask. Sometimes she'd come home and leave me money for the week, sometimes she'd leave without saying anything, or sometimes she wouldn't leave the apartment at all. She was into bad stuff, I guess. And I guess she never cared about how it could affect me, cause for all I know, she kept doing it. There were times when she came home wasted, or bruised, and all she did was scream at me about how I ruined her life, " Ryan snorted at the horrified expressions of her family, and laughed, "It's okay, seriously, one of those nights was when she was so lost she confessed everything about her time in Tree Hill, how she married Dan for money, lived royally screwing up her friendships, and then how she was stupid enough to get involved with Dan again and getting knocked up. One day I decided I was done with all her crap, so I googled Dan Scott and clicked on an article about you Nathan, and your life" she pointed at him, "And now here we are people, that's my odyssey."

The Scotts went in a small shock. It's impressive how she could talk about that awful life without even blinking a tear. Haley actually had shining eyes, and felt terribly bad for the poor girl.

"You said your middle name is Penelope," Brooke said, smiling and attempting to ease the tension, "Oh my god she named you after me! I'm the namesake of two people!"

Ryan laughed at how excited Brooke was.

"Yeah, she always talked about this amazing friend who always had her back, I guess she missed you."

Brooke stayed deep in thought, something didn't fit in the girl's story.

"Ryan, does Rachel know you're here?" Haley asked. If one of her children traveled across the country without her knowing, she'd go ballistic. Ryan went stiff. She knew she had that moment coming.

"Um, no she doesn't know," she almost whispered, hiding her face under her hair.

The adults frowned and the kids giggled simultaneously.

"Aren't you going to call her? She must be going mad," Brooke said, sitting down next to the new Scott.

Ryan chuckled dryly.

"First, I don't think she would care, " _Don't choke Ryan_,_ don't choke,_ she ordered herself, "and second, I can't call her.."

"What do you mean you can't call her?" Lucas interrupted.

"I can't call her because she can't answer.

She's dead."

It was definitely, a day full of astonishments. Their reactions occurred in slow motion. Lucas and Peyton went wide eyed, Haley's hand covered her mouth, Nathan latched his hand onto hers, and Brooke started to tear up. Despite everything Rachel had done, there was once a time when she considered her her sister. Jamie felt terrible, because she'd known her, while Sawyer and Lydia felt terrible because they didn't.

"She died when I was 2 days down the road. Her boyfriend took care of everything," Ryan said almost robotically, as if she had rehearsed the words pre-conversation. Sawyer reached out to hug her, and hesitantly, Ryan let her.

"I'm so sorry.. Auntie Ry?" She told her, smiling at her for the last part. Ryan shook her head.

"Not a chance in hell, just Ryan, or Ry, but I'm way too young to be called aunt" she announced, dead serious. Everyone couldn't help but laugh, despite the news and Brooke's quiet sobs.

Rachel Gatina was gone for good.

"What do you plan to do then? Karlie, the dark skinned girl, and Lucas and Peyton's other daughter, dared to ask after being silent most of the time.

"I plan to go see Dan," Ryan announced, confidently, "and I'd appreciate if you could help me meet him."

Again, silence echoed the house. Only Lydia didn't go dead silent, instead, she scoffed.

"Are you joking? What are you gonna do talk to a grave?" She sneered. Lydia had a bad feeling about his dad's half-sister, and followed her gut on being rude to her.

"What do you mean by grave?" Ryan whispered, shocked.

"Um he's dead, duh," Lydia told her, before either her parents and relatives could stop her. Nathan looked at Ryan, and saw how his sister's expression changed completely.

"Dan's dead too?" She managed to ask. Everyone nodded back in response.

Ryan saw her hole world crumble and burn. Her only chance to have a family again, was gone. Her father was gone as quickly as she found him. Her brothers couldn't care less about an orphan stranger, she's doomed.

"M-mother never mentioned it," she whimpered, nearly having a breakdown. Brooke went and held her tightly, but Ryan brushed it off. She stood up quickly and grabbed her bag.

"I'm sorry, this was a mistake, I need to go," she blurted out, and ran off. Jamie started to scold Lydia, who screamed back at him, while Sawyer tried to calm her down. Lucas and Nathan ran too, following her. Ryan was on the verge of leaving, already in the car, when the two men stood still in front of her car.

"Ryan, turn the car off," Luke said slowly, as Nathan opened her door.

Ryan tried to not look at them, she didn't want them to see her cry.

"You can't leave," Nathan finally said.

Ryan tried to clean her tears, but she was an orphaned, tired mess, so running mascara wasn't relevant whatsoever.

"Of course I can, and I will, I have nothing to do here anymore," she told them, still crying, "Dan's death changes everything, I've got no one else to go to."

Lucas and Nathan shared a look, guessing each others' thoughts.

"Yes you have, you have us," they said together.

Ryan arched her eyebrow.

"No way I'm getting in the middle of your families, I'm not your burden," she exclaimed intensively, grabbing the car's door. Nathan stopped her.

"You're not a burden, and about getting in the way, I guess you can't help it because you are family.. Sis," Lucas, always good with words, said, and opens his arms. Ryan gave in, and sobbed onto his shoulder.

"I don't want to force myself on to you," she whispered, softly, "I don't want to be alone either."

Nathan hugged his sister, and imagined a world in where there were no Haley and him, and Jamie and Lydia were by themselves, with no one to count with.

"We're going to help you Ryan," Nathan said, "You're a Scott, and you're staying."

Ryan continued to cry, unable to say anything. While the siblinngs bonded, the rest saw them standing by the door, with the same thought crossing their minds, and provoking different reactions. Things would definitely, change.


	4. Chapter 4

**FINALLY THE FOURTH CHAPTER. I'm so ready for this story to progress. READ REVIEW AND PM ME LOVES. Enjoy.**

* * *

Ryan opened the door of a very much crowded Karen's Cafe, being lunch time, and made her way to the counter, starved because she hadn't had any food yet. She'd woken up late today, and like every time she did for the past two weeks, she had to remind herself that she was no longer laying in her second-hand mattress in LA, but in her own room with her own comfy bed and private bathroom in the Scott-James' residence in Tree Hill. Nathan and Lucas mutually decided she'd live with the first, due to Jamie not living at his house anymore (he was home for the summer but he currently resided in New York, studying a master in journalism at Columbia), the amount of empty rooms in there,and the lack of space in previously Karen's, now Lucas' and Peyton's, house. She'd been fine with it anyways, a little bit relieved actually; Lucas, even with his -obviously fake- niceness, seemed as if he were a little uneasy about her situation. Ryan didn't judge him, after all it was a touchy subject.

He, she'd been told, was rejected by Dan at birth, and after a series of serious problems between the two, Lucas developed pure hatred to everything related to him. Peyton stood by her husband's judgement, a little bit more open minded though, but Sawyer, or Sunshine, as she sarcastically nicknamed the blonde, threw a fit when she found out Ryan'd stay with her uncles. Karlie was trivial about it, but Lydia, gosh, the dwarfish brat also threw a fit of her own, furious at how she wasn't consulted about that "strange bitch", as she had lovingly called Ryan, moving into her home. She had started to scream demanding her to leave, until Haley ran out of patience and grounded her for the rest of the summer with house arrest and a full time job at Karen's.

Speaking about the devil, Lydia was the one attending the counter, and when she spotted Ryan, her face turned sour.

"Hi bitch," Lydia greeted, not even looking at her eyes. Her hands worked on fixing some plates for the horde of costumes.

"Hello niece-y," Ryan slyly replied, smiling sweetly, "It's an incredible day don't you think?"

The day was indeed incredible. Summer was at its peak, and Tree Hill's weather didn't disappoint.

"Maybe we could go out tonight.." She eyed Lydia and grinned at how her anger grew, face getting red, "Oh, you can't right? What a shame," Ryan remarked, and before the brunette could reply, someone requested her presence at the back of the kitchen, and she left, fuming, and defeated.

Ryan 1- Lydia 0.

The only bad thing about Lydia leaving was there was no one else to place her order, so she waited, back on the counter, watching as the costumes came as swiftly as they were gone. Although the diner overflowed people, Ryan couldn't help but feel a wave of tranquility washing over her. Here, she was just another stranger; someone unknown, and no one intended to change that fact, unlike back home. The past weeks were like a question-full battlefield, and it worsened whenever Sawyer and Jamie teamed up. Ryan's heart softened at the amount of attention they wasted on her. She appreciated the effort the two oldest made, and answered their questions as cryptically as she could, but ironically, the person she wanted to get to know the most was the most cryptic one. She understood the age difference was a tough rock on her road, but every time she wanted to sit down and engage in conversation with Nathan, something inside her, probably cowardice, pulled her to not do so. It wasn't that they hadn't things in common, cause they did (one time he asked her about what model her car was, and the day before she'd recognized her favorite hip hop song playing In his room). Nathan wasn't even rude to her, on the contrary, he was nice and kind, polite too, but his attitude felt distant, as if he were protecting himself against her.

She wished her life could be less complicated. She also wished that waiter would appeared magically and ordered her a Club Sandwich with French fries and a milkshake. The tables were clearing out, why couldn't someone attend her?

"Sorry for making you wait," a voice, definitely male, behind the counter panted, "Welcome to Karen's Cafe."

Finally, Ryan thought, turning around.

Okay. Since her first day, she figured Tree Hill had something with pretty boys being around. Just that this wasn't just an ordinary pretty boy. He was THE pretty boy.

Auburn, perfect hair; clear, but tanned skin, and green, oh boy, the deepest green you could imagined buried inside his irises composed his frame, alongside a tall, slim figure. If Ryan had been impressed when she'd first seen Jamie, then she was currently mesmerized, specifically blown away.

She noticed she had the terrible habit of losing ahold of her words when encountering a male human, so she shook off all of her thoughts away. The boy continued talking as he cleaned the counter a little, not noticing Ryan's face.

"My name's Jude and I'll be you're waiter today," the boy looked up, and put on a mild smirk, which gave him a sexy edge. Ryan furiously blushed, and slapped herself mentally, she'd never acted like a stupid school girl before. She has never been this embarrassed about herself; she felt so screwed she could die.

* * *

_"Damn"_

Jude Baker wasn't the one to stop and stare at his costumers whenever he had a shift at the cafe. Scratch that, he didn't even look at girls; he was used to have girls throwing themselves at him, like, 24/7. It's not that he could blame them though, with the Brooke Davis gene running through their veins, his twin Davis and him irradiated sex appeal and confidence, albeit Davis taking more after their dad, Julian, while Jude was an almost picture perfect high school B. Davis, being wild, sexy, and a little mysterious on his own right. Jude liked to think about himself as someone not alone but lonely; he was popular at school, mostly for wrong reasons, but he could count his true friends with just one of his hands. He'd never met someone who had shaken up his world, but right now, he couldn't take his eyes off the girl standing in front of him, blushing, he noticed. Typical reaction, he thought, proudly, and widened his smirk even more, wanting to see more red staining her cheeks.

"Are you gonna order or are you gonna keep staring, Doll?" He told her, "Not that I mind for the matter," Jude added, flirtatiously, laying his elbows against the counter. Ryan grinned in her insides and slightly smiled, she could identify a player anywhere, and, past her initial stupor, two could play his game.

"Sure," she said, pretending to analyze the menu, as she stole looks from him. With faux disappointment, she set the menu down, and pouted.

"I'm afraid the thing that I want isn't on the menu," Ryan said, mimicking his arms' position.

"Is that so?" He wondered, enticed by her eyes, "What do you want then?" They were so close, their faces almost touched. Ryan approached to his ear.

"I want you...r specialty of the day, thinking again, a strawberry milkshake, and," she leaped back to her previous position, beaming because of Jude's frustrated expression,"Don't take too long, stud."

Seduction was an art, and leaving people wanting for more, a win.

Both wore smirks on, one satisfied with her first move, and the other planning his second.

"Good move, Doll," he admitted, amused, "But next time, I'll be better."

"Who says there is going to be a next time?" She cocked her eyebrow, and asked.

"JUDE BAKER! What have I told you about flirting at work?" Brooke, entering the cafe, was ready to argue with her son, but as soon as she noticed his new conquest was Ryan, a wicked smile appeared.

"Oh, hey mini Scott, I see you've met my baby boy," she told Ryan, standing right next to Jude and kissing his cheek.

"Mom we discussed this the other day.. Wait, mini Scott? Uncle Nathan's long lost sister?" Jude looked around and spotted Lydia, taking a rest, "Lydia's crazy psycho bitch relative? Ryan.. Right?" Ryan sent a glare to Brooke, who just shrugged cheekily.

"Technically, that'd be crazy psycho bitch _aunt_, and yeah, I'm the newest Scott," Ryan replied.

She hoped the new revelation didn't affect him, cause she really, really wanted to get to know Jude, or at least fool around with him for a while. Instead of freaking out, Jude just laughed out loud, and called Lydia out.

"Hey Bob!" He shouted, using her middle name to get her attention, "Guess I'll be you're new uncle!"

The brunette just stared at him, aroused, and unladylike, gave him the finger, before walking off to the kitchen.

Brooke shook her head at the youngsters, and left them alone to check things at Bakerman. Ryan stayed baffled by Jude's statement, and she prayed he wasn't just kidding about having something with her.

"Does that mean you're going to ask me out?" She asked him. Jude looked at her, and whispered in her ear.

"No, that means I'm gonna rock your world," he whispered those words huskily, just as he knew girls loved, "Starting with tonight; there's a party at my friend's beach house, you're totally invited, and I won't take no for an answer."

The way he sounded, as if he were adamant for her to accompany him, produced butterflies on Ryan's stomach, a sensation she thought she'd never feel again in her youth.

"Pick me up at 9 then," she told him, and exchanging numbers, Jude left to prepare her food.

"He'll hurt you, you know," a carbon copy of Jude sat beside her, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Excuse me?" Ryan said, estranged about what the boy said.

"Whatever he told you it's a lie, he'll just play with you and dump you, and before you get your panties on a twist, I'm warning you because I know him better than anyone," the guy extended his hand and shook hers, "I'm Davis, his twin brother."

Ryan let go of his hand, and frowned.

"First, nice to meet you, and second, you're not sure about what his intentions are," she said, quite annoyed.

"Honey, I've seen what he does to nice girls like you, I know his capacities."

"Well, you don't know mine," she turned her head around, but before she stopped talking to him, she added.

"And knowing myself, sweetie, I'll be the one who breaks his heart, not the other way around."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi babies! sorry for the delay. I tried to write longer chapters for you guys, but I think I'll stick with posting short but sure chapters, instead of long but lasting ones. Hope you like it! Read and review! Also, i've decided to accept ideas and suggestions so don't doubt to pm or review with your prompts!**

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One of the most noticeable differences between guys and girls is, definitely, the time each gender takes to get ready to go out. Dudes are simple, they just put a t-shirt and a nice pair of pants on, spray a bit of deodorant and cologne, mess their hair to make it look cool, and they're done. Chicks, in the other way, tend to be more meticulous about their looks, and occasionally develop a small crisis while getting ready, which was what Ryan experienced in the late afternoon inside her room. The place was an utter mess, to put it shortly. The little amount of clothes she owned were scattered around her bed and floor, and her bureau was packed with her makeup items. Jude had promised to pick her up at 8 o'clock, and currently, her clock read 8:30, meaning she only had half an hour to finish herself up.

Ryan groaned in exasperation, and threw herself onto her bed, done with the pressure of finding the right outfit. She'd tried every skirt, legging, and jean with every nice blouse or cool tee she possessed, but nothing worked the way she wanted. Back in LA, she didn't bother to be pretty for others, she just went her own way and people were drawn to her instantly, but, tonight; she wanted to impress her date, to leave him dumbfounded and square-eyed, but she clearly couldn't do that going out naked. Well, technically, she'd make a remarkable impression doing that, but stripping on her first date? Not quite her style. A knock on her door brought her back from her stripping fantasy, and made her pull herself up.

"It's unlocked," Ryan shouted, resting her arms against her knees, and waiting for anybody to enter. That anybody was Haley, who opened the door and made herself in without further ado. Her eyes wandered around the wrecked-like place, and arched an eyebrow funnily.

"Looks like the hurricane season came earlier this year," the blonde joked, earning an exasperated glare from the youngster. She sat on the disheveled bed, and laid down too.

"If you want to joke and have a laugh then wait until Jude arrives and I come out in only lingerie," Ryan hid her face under her pillowcase, "Humiliations are always the best back stories."

"Oh, I'd love to see Nathan's response to that," Haley day-dreamed about her husband finding his sister wearing lingerie in front of a teenage boy, and half-shuddered, half-laughed. Nathan, a full, grown adult, was still incorrigible when it came to his girls, group that now included his little sister, "He's just a tad hot-heated, but just a tad."

Ryan understood her subliminal tone, and faced her, massaging her temples.

"I'm so doomed and it's not even 9p.m. I should've never said yes in the first place."

"C'mon, don't be so dramatic," judging by the clothes and the makeup turmoil, Haley deduced she couldn't choose anything to wear, "and while I am no expert in clothing, I'm sure there are some nice pieces discarded over here." Haley picked up a red top from the floor, and showed it to Ryan.

"Why don't you wear this? It's really cute!" Haley squealed, looking herself in the mirror. She'd sneak back for it later. Ryan stared at the cloth, and sighed.

"That's exactly why I don't want to wear it," Ryan told Haley, "I don't want to look nice, or cute, or just pretty, I want to look…"

"Ravishing? Deliciously attractive?" Haley asked while attempting to do sexy poses, putting a small smile on the girl's face.

"Sort of, more like crazy sexy," Ryan replied, trying on a crop top, "I shouldn't be this self conscious, I'm never this self conscious! I'm almost sure Beatle boy put a spell on me."

"Honey he did put a spell on you, 'cause you're totally infatuated," the blush on the littlest Scott's cheeks betrayed her head shook, and satisfied with the unspoken answer (she had to call Brooke to chitchat about it), Haley decided to change the subject.

"C'mon Ry, follow me," she told her sister-in-law, "I think I can save your lucky ass tonight."

The girls exited the guest room, and went to the Haley's. It was empty, so Haley started to search around her closet, while Ryan kept glancing at the wall clock nervously; she now had five minutes less in total. Haley kept tossing clothes out of their place, until she finally found what she was looking for. In her hands, she held a silvery, shimmery strapless sequin blouse, not to fancy, but still striking.

"It's beautiful," Ryan muttered, brushing her fingers over the soft fabric.

"I wore this on one of my tours," Haley commented, reminiscing, "It's supposed to be much longer, but some years ago I cut it so it could wear it with jeans and shorts; here, take it."

"Oh no, I could never," although Ryan loved vintage things, she couldn't use something as meaningful as that, "You have memories of that dress… Hales."

Haley grinned at the mention of her nickname. Ryan had started to warm up at her.

"Please, it's just an old rag," she said nonchalantly, "And besides, I'll trade it with you for your red top, I adored that thing."

Ryan took the dress off Haley's hold, and hugged it against her body.

"Fine, deal."

"Perfect," Haley replied as she forced Ryan to sit in her boudoir, "Now let's get you smokin'."

20 minutes later, Haley finished adding the last details to Ryan's face. They'd decided to go for a smoky eyed look – to enhance the blue in her eyes – and complimented it with subtle lipstick and a light blush. Ryan twirled around for Haley, and the blonde clapped at her, proud of her work.

"Wow, you look just like Rachel," she spitted out before she could stop herself; Haley noticed Ryan getting grimy, so she quickly added, "In a completely good way I mean, I hate to admit it but she did steal the spotlight wherever she went."

Ryan sighed at her image on the body-length mirror.

"Yeah, the mother dearest that she was," deep down, she wished Rachel would've been doing this with her, the getting ready furor slash drama, the girl talk, just normal girl stuff normal moms shared with their daughters.

"I'm sorry for bringing her up, it's just… I still can't believe she didn't change for the better, and died as the same careless, selfish woman I knew. It must have been a hell growing up with her."

"It was, overall, but curiously, I always had someone else taking care of me," Ryan decided to open up to Haley a little bit; if she couldn't do that with her brother, the least she could do was make good contact with his wife, "If I recall correctly, mother had this co-worker at this bar she used to work when I was very little; the woman was very kind to me whenever Rachel took me to work, and she was always so worried about my well-being, constantly spoiling me with small gifts…" deep in thought, she glanced at Haley, "In fact, you remind me of her, you two look fairly alike."

Haley didn't show it, but inwardly, her motherly side went relieved when she heard that story.

"What's her name?" she asked, full of curiosity.

"I can't exactly remember, but I think it's something with T…" her words were interrupted by the faint noise of somebody knocking the front door. Ryan frantically checked if everything on her was neatly in place, grabbed her phone, and – almost rivaling Olympic athlete – sprinted to the door, only to find that Jude had been welcomed inside by non other that Nathan and Jamie. They sat on the living room talking animatedly. Lydia stood in the kitchen, expectant to guess what'd happen.

"Hi Scott men," she greeted them first to get rid of some of her nerves.

Jamie flashed a smile and slung his arm around her shoulders.

"You look great auntie!" he said playfully as he whistled at her, "Who's the lucky guy?"

Nathan's overprotective senses kicked in at the mention of a "lucky guy"; he eyed his sister pointedly.

"Are you going out tonight?" he asked, sharpness edging his voice. Ryan, who wasn't used to parental authority, didn't like the way he said it; she was eager to reply something uncouth, but Jude's presence urged her not to do so.

"Yes, she is Nathan," Haley sternly answered to her husband's question, after she entered the room. She spotted Jude smudged between her two boys; she was quite pleased to see him so nervous. "Hi godson," she told him cheekily, "Bring her back by 1 okay?"

"Sure Aunt Hales, let 's go doll," Jude mouthed a thank you to Haley, and took Ryan's hand, who grinned at Haley, winked at Jamie, knowingly, and at Lydia, mockingly.

"Bye everyone!" Ryan shouted, and exited the house, leaving an amused Jamie, a happy Haley, a confused Nathan – who thought Jude was just passing by – and an irked Lydia.

"When a guy asks me out, Dad tries to kill, or mentally scar him. She gets asked out, and she walks out of the door without a single word!" Lydia complained, sitting down next to Nathan.

"News flash Bobbie, she's not our sister," Jamie told her, occupying another couch.

"Wait," Nathan commanded. Three pairs of eyes looked at him silently.

"Did he just call her doll?"

"Oh shut up, Nathan."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6.

The party, held in a big and fancy beach house at the outskirts of Tree Hill, was at its full swing when Ryan and Jude stepped inside it. She had hoped for the opportunity to enter and be unnoticed by the foreign swarm of teens so Jude and her could be able to sneak in the household's bar, and maybe dance for a while. But, as soon as a football jock spotted her date, suddenly tons and tons of people spurted out of nowhere to fist bump, salute, or drunkenly hit on him. Some people even performed the three events, which was really fun to see. Finally, after some minutes of just hanging by herself on the background, waiting for the Jude fan club to spread around, she spotted a guy walking towards her, or rather towards Jude, with two red cups in hand. He couldn't be labeled as handsome or sexy, but he had a cute, boy next-door kind of air, with sandy, blond bangs hanging on his forehead, and sparkly grey eyes matching a pretty smile. When the guy was close enough from the two of them, Jude had already finished with his admirers, and caught sight of him. The boys stood facing each other for a fraction of a second, and cracked humongous grins afterwards.

"Behold people, I believe THE Jude Baker has arrived," the boy announced to nobody in specific, bowing rather comically to Jude, before giving him a man hug,

"And you finally decided to come back from your brainiac sanctuary," Jude replied smiling, and returning the affection.

"If you mean that I finally managed to get out of prep camp, then yes, I'm back," The boy smiled widely, seeming relieved of finally being back home.

"And I'm glad you are, man," Jude declared sincerely, as he broke the hug, and proceeded to grab ahold of Ryan's waist, "Doll, let me introduce you to the second coolest guy in Tree Hill, my best friend and honorary member of the Baker family, Tristan Roberts; Tristan this is…"

"_This_ is perfectly capable of introducing herself," Ryan interrupted, shooting a devilish smirk to Jude, who smirked back at her, "I'm Ryan Scott, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

_Okay maybe not a pleasure, but if I'm gonna have allies in this game with Jude, I must play nice,_ Ryan thought as she shook Tristan's hand, who smiled at her "niceness."

"Scott huh? That means you're Lydia's cousin?" His eyes gleamed at the mention of the brunette, and Ryan made sure to remember it for teasing purposes.

"More like her incredibly young, and sexy aunt," she replied, wanting to see if he reacted in any kind of way, which surprisingly, he did not; instead he laughed, amused.

"I'm not even gonna bother in asking; Jude here has taught me over the years is that whatever happens behind somebody's closed doors is their business, ergo, the only thing left to say is, welcome, Ryan Scott, _mi casa es tu casa_," Tristan declared, and with a gulp of his red cup, he turned on his feet and left the pair alone, dancing to the rhythm as he moved forward. When he was a considerable distance away, Ryan threw a baffled look at Jude.

"That is your best friend. Seriously."

"Yes."

"He's kind of a genius."

"I know."

"And you're just..."

"I'm what, doll?"

An awkward pause followed Jude's words, so Ryan decided to let the subject go.

"Never mind, let's go," she told him, finally barging into the party scene. As time ticked by, Ryan and Jude moved from corner to corner, Ryan being introduced to dozens of people she probably wouldn't remember the next day, thanks to a lovely bottle of tequila, courtesy of Tristan who, for a genie, Ryan discovered, was actually cool and popular amongst the crowd. Soon enough the young Scott found herself sitting alone in the living room's couch, bottle in hand, with Jude nowhere to be seen; not that she cared for his whereabouts whatsoever, she thought, as she sipped her liquor happily. In all honesty, she admitted to herself of finally having her first good time in Tree Hill, and with a really good company by her side; she truly couldn't complain about anything. Another body slumped into the empty spot beside her, and groaned loudly.

"Ugh, this heels are killing me," the person, a girl, complained as she stepped out of her heels for a minute, sighing, "Care to share a sip for this helpless gal pal?"

Ryan eyed her, focusing on her face, which was a peach colored, and her eccentric appearance. The teen wore a flowery maxi dress, ten-inch wedge, and her whole hair tied into long micro braids, which gave her a hippie-chic aura.

"Help yourself sister," Ryan handed her the almost empty bottle, and the girl took a deep gulp before smiling.

"Just as I remember it," the girl muttered to herself, but Ryan managed to catch her words, and chuckled at them.

"Long summer?" Ryan asked, chugging the bottle and staring at the rave that occurred around the couch.

The girl changed her position so she was placed face to face with Ryan, and took another drink from the bottle.

"You have no idea, like, my parents sent me to this art program in the middle of Idaho, and at first I thought it was gonna be a blast because, I mean, away from home for 2 months? Booze and boys 24/7! But then when I arrived I realized the place was like really major, and the rules were super strict and all I did was painting and painting and dancing and dancing – don't get me wrong, I LOVE ARTS – but I really missed the feeling of my love Tequila burning against my throat, and well, the feeling of a guy's tongue going down my throat, quite literally," the girl babbled comfortably as Ryan didn't pretend but rather did listened to her summer shenanigans. The girl kept talking about how this one time she tried to fool around with one of her drawing instructors, when she stopped talking abruptly and opened her mouth in realization.

"Oh dear, I've been rambling for five complete minutes while you remained there totally not knowing who I am," Hippie-chic apologized, and extended her hand towards Ryan, "The name's Lela, current artist in development," she said proudly, smiling widely at her.

Apparently, Tree Hillers were very warm towards newcomers. Ryan took her hand and shook it slightly.

"Mine is Ryan, current newcomer," Ryan told her, as Lela's face brightened.

"I knew you weren't a local! You look to urban to fit in the small town aesthetic. Who did you come with?"

"Um, this guy, a family friend of mine who you probably know perfectly… Jude Baker?" Her words lingered on Jude's name, savoring it in her tongue. He'd been gone to long by now, and now she did care about his whereabouts. Lela snorted at the mention of Jude.

"Baker boy 1? Really? I can't really judge about your taste in boys because I've done worse, if you know what I mean, but anyways, if he's a family friend, then you must either know the Scotts &amp; Co. or be one of them, because apart from Tristan, Jude's not really close with anybody else," Lela rambled knowingly, gesticulating with her hands.

"Are you Miss Know-it-all or something?" Ryan wondered, curious about how she allegedly seemed to know a lot about Jude and the Scotts.

"Partly, but honey, the Scotts, and their acquaintances are the equivalent of the Kardashians here in Tree Hill," Ryan cracked a grin at the comparison, the Kardashians were still being pretty known even though their golden age had been almost 20 years earlier, "They're the essence, and most of the time, the talk of the town, so take your pick, who are you?"

Ryan was on the verge of responding when she caught a sight that made her inner psycho bitch stir. Jude finally made an appearance, but he wasn't alone. Lying against the wall facing him stood a chick almost the size of a dwarf, putting aside the insanely high heels on her feet, smiling sweetly at Jude and staring dreamily into his eyes. She leaned in to whisper something in his ear that made him laugh, and that made Ryan plan her next game move.

"Lela, who is she?" she asked her companion, who looked in the direction Ryan's eyes pointed at. Lela snorted once again, and spoke boringly.

"That's the captain of the dance team, who are just normal cheerleaders using sluttier outfits by the way, Marcie Malcolm, or bitch-slut; personally, I think the second name fits her better, but eh it's just my humble opinion," Sarcasm heavily impregnated her words, "She and Jude are good friends."

"By friends do you mean friends or _friends_?" Ryan's gaze stayed fixated with the way that slut had her date wrapped around her skinny fingers.

"_Friends_."

Lela's response was what pushed Ryan to swallow the last remains of tequila, and to strut provocatively to where Jude and Marcie were talking. When she reached the two of them, she snaked her arm under Jude's shirt, and talked into his ear.

"So we're playing again stud?" she huskily said, as she locked eyes with Marcie, whose expression changed to be as calm as the night sky. Ryan's façade came to life, and a small smile crawled upon her face while her fingers wandered through Jude's skin, "Oh I didn't see you there, girlfriend, care to introduce me, Beatle boy?"

Ryan's touch caused the desired effect on Jude's senses, because, being the hormonal teen he was, he barely managed to focus on speaking rightly with a forming boner down there. Damn, just one day of knowing the girl and she already drove him crazy.

"Mars, Ryan; Ryan, this is my friend Mars," he started to say.

"It's Marcie for strangers, Reyna, is it?" Marcie asked, playing dumb. Her hand had quietly sneaked up to Jude's arm, caressing his upper muscles.

"Ryan, sweet cheeks, it ain't that difficult to say, maybe I can spell it for you to understand it," the brunette turned to Jude and put on a sexy pout, "I'm in the mood for dancing, wanna join?" Marcie huffed at her words, and Ryan arched an eyebrow, "Got a problem, Fake Barbs?"

Marcie kept a cool expression; she examined her nails casually, and then put her hands on her hips, defiantly.

"Oh, on the contrary Rania, it's just that Jude loves to dance, but only with the right partner, and I'm sorry to reveal you aren't it, see Jude is rather fond of a certain kind of moves, and I don't think you know how to do them."

Ryan passed a hand through her hair, and grabbed it all to tie it in a high ponytail. She also came closer to Marcie's figure, mirroring her defiance.

"Try me."

Someone shouted "DANCE OFF!" from the background, and suddenly Ryan and Marcie were on the dance floor surrounded by quite the crowd, with Jude, Tristan, and Lela among it. Ryan allowed Marcie to begin, therefore the blonde went to the DJ before he searched her song in his laptop. The speakers started to play Bang Bang by Jessie J, and the crowd started to cheer at Marcie while she danced. Ryan had to admit that she knew how to move, performing swift and choreographically, and when the song finished, she received a big bunch of cheers, alongside plenty of low whistles, one if particular from Jude himself.

"Let's see if you can top that," Marcie told Ryan smugly, but Ryan simply laughed dryly.

"I have to admit, you know how to move, but it takes a lot more than an already rehearsed choreography to be good at dancing."

Ryan went to the DJ, and asked him to plug in her phone, and choose the song "Zoom" from her playlist. The intro started to play and she started to sway her hips.

"Where I come from, we dance like this."

The reggaeton beat pulsed loudly in Ryan's veins as she let her body move with the music. Her movements were slow, sexy and fresh, every guy in the room cheered for her as she occasionally grinned into one of the lucky boys in the front of the crowd. Some girls who knew how to dance reggaeton joined her in the dance floor. People who had never heard the song before started to dance at it's pace, and Jude, who's gaze was glued in Ryan's body, went on to dance with her, but she quickly moved to another boy, smirking crazily, and leaving him sexually frustrated.

Ryan-2. Jude-0.

The song ended, and Ryan was the object of the loudest ovation, while Marcie reddened in anger, and defeat. Another score. Ryan was short of breath, and, full of adrenaline and excitement, deliberately took her shirt off, provoking another round of wolf whistles and screams. She walked to Jude and Marcie, and threw her blouse at Jude for him to catch.

"It's rather hot in here isn't it?" she asked nonchalantly, adjusting her lacy bra strap against her shoulder, "I think I'm calling it a night, stud, so be a darling, and take me home, also, it was my pleasure dwarf, good night."

Jude waited nothing to go get the car, and saying a quick goodbye to Tristan, the pair drove away to the Scotts'.

"Doll, you put quite the show over there," Jude commented, earning a smile from his co pilot.

"Oh stud, and you've barely seen a thing! How is that you're going to keep up with me?" the car reached the entrance of the Scott household, and without another word, she slipped out of the car, and into the house. She closed the main door, and took a deep breath with her eyes closed, finally letting her arousing free.

"What a night," she whispered to herself, not noticing the figure that she'd woken up in laying in the couch, startled by her current state of clothing.

"I bet it was," Jamie said loud enough for Ryan to hear, and make her blush out of embarrassment, "Mind to explain why is your shirt missing?"

Ryan started to crawl upstairs, seemingly leaving Jamie with a lot of unanswered curiosity, but returned downstairs and sat beside his nephew, turning the TV on, and going on telling him what a hell of a night it had been. They stayed up so late into the night that, the next morning, they woke up to a very disturbed Lydia, Haley, and Nathan, who especially wanted to know why the hell was his shirtless sister sleeping beside his son, and her nephew. The pair looked at each other, and quite embarrassed and flabbergasted, burst into a fit of laughter, followed by a very quick, and logic explanation, while of course, leaving the story of how she lost her shirt out of the tale.

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**I am a guilty reaggeton lover. If you want to check out the song it is Zoom by Latin Fresh.**

**I hope you like this chapter because it was really fun to write, specially because we get to see Ryan's a wild child, and also meet new characters!**

**LOVE READ REVIEW AND FAVORITE / FOLLOW**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OKAY SO, toughest and longest chapter i have ever written, i hope you like it, and read, review, and send me messages if you need anything regarding the story!**

**i do not own one tree hill, or it's stars. ryan is mine though.**

**love you, ro x**

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CHAPTER 7.

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"Remind me again what's all the fuss about?" Ryan asked for the second time, sitting on the kitchen's counter while Haley and Brooke, who arrived at a very early hour in the morning, cooked eagerly. The girl had come down about an hour ago at being woken up by the loud noise the women were making messing around with ingredients and dishes. Haley seemed to be enjoying whatever she was cooking, but Brooke looked exhausted and annoyed, cleaning up the dirt off the counter.

"The dreaded Labor Day Party," the brunette half muttered half growled, resting her head over her elbows.

"Wait, party?" Ryan wondered as she dipped her finger in a bowl in front of her, and frowned, it was artichoke dip, definitely not a favorite f hers.

Haley stop mixing some chocolate fudgy stuff, and stared at Brooke faking being offended.

"How could you call terrible the only holiday everyone is around for? I'm so happy that the whole family can make it to the beach house today!" Haley poured the mix in a baking pan, and put in the oven, "It is also Ryan's first family gathering with us; she'll finally get to meet the rest of us!"

By "the rest of us", Ryan assumed she referred to the Evans – Quinn, Clay and their children -, and Julian and Davis, who Haley had never seen around the littlest Scott. She was excited to meet the other adults, but honestly dreaded encountering Davis again, she hadn't liked him the first time they'd talked, and she guessed she wouldn't be able to pull through a second meeting if he acted like a jerk.

"Maybe I'd be more excited and less grumpy if you'd listen to my suggestion of ordering take out, instead of wasting my beauty sleep hours to cook," Brooke stated, pointing at the numerous dishes they'd bake over the course of the morning.

"There's nothing better than a nice homemade meal," Haley sang, laughing at Brooke and checking the oven.

"I totally second that," added Ryan, "Hales' cooking is delicious, and besides, living of take-outs for several years kind of ruins your appetite for them."

"See? That's a perfect reason not to order take out," Haley exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at Brooke, who just rolled her eyes and directed her attention at her current favorite Scott – right after Jamie-.

"I believe someone is starting school tomorrow alongside our offspring tomorrow," Brooke said, "Feeling nervous kiddo?"

Nervous was the understatement of the year. Summer seemed like an absolute dream filled with events Ryan would've never imagined, like meeting her family, or living comfortably in a real household; even meeting Jude had been a nice experience, comparing to all the crap she had suffered back in LA, but now, with the holidays ending, her insecurities about the hospitality she got threatened to surface once again.

"More like impatient," she Ryan finally sighed, "I just have to bear one more of year of educational torture and then I'll be free to do whatever I want."

"You will still suffer through another for years of college missy," Haley teased, wrapping some plastic over a couple of bowls.

Ryan eyed her while letting a small laugh loose.

"Um, I'm not going to college," she said, matter-of-factly.

Both mothers stared at her skeptically, eyebrows raised.

"Are you serious?" Brooke asked, worried about her nonchalance about the subject.

"Yeah, totally," Ryan answered, and, noticing their skeptic antics, groaned out of annoyance, "Oh c'mon guys, it's not that big of a deal! And even if I wanted to go, which I do not, I couldn't afford it anyways," the girl jumped of her seat in the counter and rushed to grab some of the finished bowls, "We have a party to host, so, chop chop!" she shouted out loud and went to put the bowls inside the SUV, disappearing from plain sight. The women kept silence, both deep in thought. Haley let out a deep sigh, and put her hands on her hips.

"So, chop chop huh," she said, eying Brooke questioningly.

Her friend returned the stare, and grinned guilty.

"Isn't she a fast learner? Jamie and I have taken the time to train her well," Brooke squealed in between laughs, "Oh c'mon Tutor Mom, blood calls blood, give it a month and she'll be throwing tantrums like Lydia and Nate, too."

Haley glared at her, and scoffed.

"Back to work Tigger, we still have a lot to do," she said, brushing of her friend's words and moving around the kitchen. She reached for the cookie dough, and stuffed it into Brooke's hands.

"You, my friend," Haley started, turning on the oven, "Are on cookie duty, and you know there's never a Scott party without my famous cookies, so chop chop!"

Brooke huffed, glared once more, tied her hair into a ponytail, and, as her t-shirt got dirty with dough and Haley's laugh ringed in her ears, she decided the next get together would be catered, whether Haley, Ryan, her family or the President himself wanted or not.

* * *

Finally, after an incident with the oven, a quasi-food fight in the middle of the dining room, and the fact that Ryan remember she left her phone back home after 10 minutes of driving, the woman managed to arrived to the beach house, which, at the point, was already packed with their loved ones. Ryan spotted several cars in the front parking lot, including Peyton's iconic comet - she had binge read An Unkindness of Ravens and The Comet back-to-back the week before -, Nathan's SUV, an ugly pick-up truck and a couple of fine looking cars, she supposed, belonged to the rest of the people she hadn't met yet, like Brooke's husband, or the Evans.

Getting out of the car, the three of them managed to carry as much containers as they could to the door, and entered the beach house to find everything ready and set, well, everything but the food. The people there greeted them, and again Ryan felt the feeling of familiarity oozing out from everyone around, except from her. She crossed a couple of words with Quinn and Clay, who were excited about meeting the newest family member. Clay even cracked a couple of jokes regarding Nathan and her, showing he already was confortable with his best friend's sister. Then, Brooke strolled across the living room, with Julian following her closely, and introduced the love of her life to Ryan, who couldn't help but smile at how in love they were with each other, even if Julian's awkwardness threatened to ruin the moment.

"Brooke tells me you've gotten along with the boys really well," Julian mentions, raising an eyebrow at her, implying he knew more than what he told.

Ryan blushed, kind of embarrassed, shrugged and smiled slightly.

"I haven't had the pleasure of hanging out a lot with Davis," Ryan said, rolling her eyes mentally at the mention of the kid, "But I have spent some time Jude, and I hope you know you're sons are kind of cool, Mr. Baker."

"Yeah, they obviously took after me, but don't tell Brooke," He said, winking, "And drop the formalities Ryan, we're family."

There it was again. Family. That damn, meaningless word. How could people who weren't blood-related to her accepted her, but her own brothers wouldn't even dare to say hi? She'd seen her brothers all around the house, running errands for Haley, talking to their kids, arguing with Peyton about the music, interacting with every single one, but avoiding the hell out of her. She felt hurt, and pissed as fuck.

"Talking about the boys, are they coming?" she asked, dodging any possible answer to his statement; luckily Julian, clueless as always, didn't notice her discomfort.

"I… don't know," he mumbled, and furrowed his brows, thinking, "Brooke! Are the boys coming?" he shouted to his wife, who was stationed right next to the liquor bar.

"I think they're arriving late! Jude said something about going to Malcolm's? Come help me with the drinks!"

Julian smiled at Ryan, and excused himself, leaving her alone. She though about joining Jamie with Lydia, Sawyer, and Logan, Clay's son, but then she spotted the James-Scott couple by the kitchen, talking amongst each other. Ryan walked to them and greeted them.

"Hey Hales, hi Nathan," she said, grinning at her brother, but not getting a grin in return.

"R.P.! I haven't seen you since we arrived, havin' a good time?" Haley asked, oblivious of the tension between the other two.

"Yeah, thanks sis," she thought she saw Nathan flinch at the word, "This place is amazing, Nathan, when did you get it?"

"It was Dan's," he curtly answered, avoiding her eyes, "Um… I just remembered I have to do this thing with Lucas so if you excuse me…."

"I can go!" Ryan blurted out all of a sudden, "With you and Lucas, I mean, and help you guys with what you're gonna do."

Nathan frowned.

"It's okay Ryan, you don't have to…"

"But I want to go with you," she pushed her luck a little bit more.

"It's fine." He said, annoyed.

"I insist, Nathan." She said, icily.

"You can't come!" he stated, teeth gritted.

"And why not?" she asked, expectantly, "I don't see a prob…"

"It's brothers only damn it!"

Nathan shut up, aware of what said. Haley gasped, taken aback. Only they three were aware of the conversation, but still, for Ryan, his words felt like the loudest of screams, and the sharpest of knives through his heart.

"So you're not my brother, then?" her broken words were followed by unshed, burning tears in her eyes, "Because last time I checked, we were, or at least, I hoped for us to be."

The teenager then exited the back porch, and left slamming the door, catching everyone's attention, with Nathan and Haley trailing her with their eyes, and the rest of the party wondering what was happening.

Haley looked at her husband, furiously, and Nathan gulped, paling.

"Haley I'm…" She shut him up.

"Don't you dare say another word, you've said enough already," she hushed sternly, "Lucas Eugene!"

Lucas, turning his head around at the mention of his full name, knew by the way Haley and Nathan looked, one murderously, and the other scared, that something bad had happened. He approached to them carefully.

"What's up guys?" he asked, casually.

Haley didn't bother to say a word, but instead pulled the Scotts by their arms and lead them outside, then shoving them roughly against the wall.

"Stop with the love, Hales," Lucas said, pulling himself up.

Haley ran her hands through her head, frustrated.

"You two are such… you're such… douches! A-holes! Idiotic brainless barely human beings!" the blonde ranted, pointing at both of them, "How could you be so heartless?!"

Lucas looked at Nathan, confused.

"Hales," he started, "I'm extremely sorry Nathan and I threw your cookies to the ground earlier, but do you really think is that of a big deal?"

Haley glared at him, and Nathan shook his head at Lucas.

"It doesn't have anything to do with the cookies imbecile! I'm talking about Ryan, your sister, you do remember her don't you? Because you seem to ignore and avoid the living hells out of her!"

"Haley," Nathan used his most soothing voice tone, "we haven't been ignoring her."

"Or avoiding, for the matter," Lucas added.

"Don't pull your B.S. on me! Ever since Ryan came looking for you, and I remark, for you, and you promised, no, assured her she wouldn't be alone anymore, you have done nothing but to break that promise! I know, hell, I know how difficult is to look at her and not think about all the shit Dan and Rachel ever pulled on us, but she's a just a kid, an innocent, unlucky kid; your own flesh and blood! She's family, and get it through your thick skull, you can't choose who your family is. She didn't choose Dan and Rachel or us, and you didn't choose her either, so right now you get your asses on the line and find her before she does something stupid, got it?"

Then men nodded, and started to go down to the beach.

"Got it."

* * *

The Atlantic Ocean was gelid against Ryan's feet. The cold didn't bother her though; the last thing she could do at the moment was feel something other than hurt, and rejection.

She had hoped that at least Nathan would be interested in being her family, but he was just as terrible as his blond counterpart. Her heart ached, and so she sat by the shore, breathing in the salty air, alone, as she thought she was meant to be forever.

"So this is what you call a great family mom," she mumbled, drying her tears with her fingers, "Another freaking lie to your stupid little daughter."

A hand rested over her shoulder.

"I think that's the only true thing Rachel ever told you," Nathan sat beside her, with Lucas on the opposite side. Ryan smacked his hand out of her shoulder.

"Like hell it was the truth," she muttered, starting to get up, before Lucas pulled her down.

"We need to talk to you, Ryan."

The brunette scoffed.

"Oh so now I am worthy of your attention Lucas? Well sorry but I'm not interested of whatever fucking monologue you have conjured for me in your petty writer mind. I should've gone when I had the chance."

"You still don't have anyone to go to," Nathan told her.

Ryan's heart crushed a little bit more.

"It's definitely better being lonely that being somewhere you're not welcomed, ain't it right? 'Cause you dicks can't wait for the day I leave," Her voice was laced with venom.

"That's not true, we're more than relieved you are here with us," Nathan explained.

"Then why? Why whenever I try to get into your lives you push me out?" she question, outraged.

Her brothers tried to say something, but they didn't find anything to explain themselves as clear as crystal. Ryan sighed deeply.

"You're not what troubles us… but yet, you are," Lucas said, locking eyes with the girl. No one spoke for a few minutes, knee-deep in thoughts.

"I am not Dan. I am not Rachel, either. I may look like her, and apparently, act a lot like him, but who my parents are doesn't give you the right to alienate me," Ryan softly told them, staring into the ocean.

"He never loved me, how can you expect for me to love his spitting image?" Lucas blurted out, not thinking it through.

Another stab, and more internal bleeding.

"He never loved me, or knew me, at all," she grunted.

"Lucky you," Nathan whispered, and Ryan heard him.

She turned at him, indignant.

"Excuse me? Lucky me?"

"You're so lucky you never met him, Ryan," Nathan told her, clearing his throat, "You didn't suffer everything we went through with him."

"So this is about jealousy? Unbelievable," Ryan, fuming, stood up, her brothers doing the same also.

"Where are you going?" they asked in unison.

"To look for the sense you two have apparently lost! Do you think because I never new my father I had it easy in life?" her voice went a few decibels up, "I GREW UP WITH A WHORE FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

She walked right in front of Lucas's body.

"You had a loving, precious mother who took care of you, and an uncle who loved you like his son," she then walked to Nathan, "And you, even if you hate to admit it, had a someone to count with, no matter if he was the devil himself. He gave you food, a comfy place to live, a nice life, and in his own twisted way, he loved you.

Who was there for me when my I almost starve at 11? When my first boyfriend dumped me at 14? When they tried to… you know what, never mind, you wouldn't understand with that big fat jealousy covering your eyes."

"What do you want from us, huh? We've given you food, a place to rest, a family, what else do you need?" Nathan asked, his hot-headedness slowly getting the best of him.

"I need you," it was getting cold outside, but Ryan needed to get it out of her chest, "I need the type of siblings I know you can be, I want you to care for me, to get mad at me whenever I screw up, to get protective about boys with me; I need to know I can count with you unconditionally. I need for you to allow yourselves to give me a chance."

Has my heart bled out already? She thought, embracing herself, Do I still have anything to lose?

"Can you do that? Forgive me for all the things I'm not, and give me the chance I deserve? Let me be your sister?" she pleaded, staring longingly at her brothers.

The Scotts were tough, but not heartless. The sight of their sister's broken eyes was enough to make their hearts cringe, and their eyes burn. Nathan was the first to react, because, whether he liked it or not, she had started to creep into his care, into her little happy family bubble. Yeah, Dan ruined most of his early life, but ultimately, his father saved what was left of it, so the less he could do was take care of that last piece of him. He pulled Ryan into him, and hugged her tightly.

Magically, she felt some stitches appear in her tear-up heart.

"It's being a long summer, for all of us," he said, "But you're right, you're not them. You're you, and I want to know you." Nathan looked at Lucas for support, which looked conflicted. He let out a sigh.

"Once upon a time, you gave me a chance too, Luke," he told his brother.

"I can... I mean I don't…"

"You don't have to love me right now, I just want to know that you'll be able eventually," Ryan left Nathan, and went to Lucas, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I want to try, I really do," he told her, earning the tiniest, and saddest smile.

"Then try, with all your heart."

The three stood facing each other.

"So, we're good?" she inquired.

Nathan and Lucas nodded at her. Ryan smiled, a real one this time. They heard voices reaching the beach, meaning the party had moved to the outside. The three came back, and their family and friends felt the tension gone, and smiled, some inwardly, and some outwardly. Brooke and Haley crossed looks, both noticing how light Ryan seemed now, laughing with Nathan, and chatting up with Lucas. The wounds in her heart were still there, but the boys had begun to close them, with their stitches, and her hope.

Stitches made of hope are the best, but they are also the worst. Hope comes, and also goes, but the healing it destroys when it leaves? It's almost impossible to repair.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Ryan shut her locker door closed, and came face to face with Lela's own, making her appearance an unexpected one as always. She sighed and moved her head backwards, resulting in a giggle from her friend.

"Damn it Lela, you need to stop doing that!" Ryan exclaimed, trying and failing to seem angry

"But it's so fun to see you getting all fired up!" Lela replied, pushing her braids to her side, "Plus, as your only friend, I have the right to do as I please without a consequence.

Ryan rolled her eyes, and laughed. Her statement, while blunt, was absolutely true. Aside from her, and the occasional talk with Karlie – Lydia ran off whenever Ryan was anywhere near her within a 10 meter radius – Ryan was a loner in Tree Hill High, partly because she wanted to focus all her energy and time in passing her AP courses, and partly because ever since the party, Marcie had taken action in antagonizing her with all the student body. While most of them ignored to do so and were distantly amicable, the small but loyal group of plastics who conformed Marcie's entourage made sure to harass her with constant dirty looks and gossip. As expected, she was a bit of the talk of the town, 'cause the truth behind her sudden arrival to Tree Hill was kept a secret; some of the rumors said she was the lovechild of Nathan Scott, some said she was Haley's daughter, and some were even as surreal and as stupid as their inventors were.

"Earth to Ryan! I hate it when you space out like that, c'mon!" Lela's whining got her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry," she apologized, walking down the hallway next to her. The bell had rung some minutes ago - time for the lunch break, - so the outdoors was crowded, and it was a tough task to get a space to eat in peace. "What's your rush anyways? It's not like we'll be able to get a good table."

"Honey haven't we established to not question my actions? C'mon they're waiting for us," Lela pointed to a table located in the center of the cafeteria, and Ryan stopped in her feet. Sitting in the table were Tristan, and Lydia, establishing a casual conversation. She growled.

"Lela, you know I can't sit there," Ryan told her, grabbing her arm, "If I do Dwarf Girl will have my head cut off before I get to say a simple hi."

Lela glanced at the two directions, and scoffed.

"Don't be a pussy Scott, and she'd have to be able reach your head in the first place, and last time I checked, you were over a foot taller," Lela's snarky comments about Lydia made Ryan relax a little. She knew she was exaggerating; even if her niece was a little spitfire, she was sure she could handle her; what really put her on edge was the fact wherever Tristan went, a certain beautiful brunet, green-eyed Beatle boy who hadn't dare to talk to her in over a month, followed also. The pair reached the table, attracting Tristan and Lydia's attention. Tristan smiled softly at both girls, while Lydia saluted Lela and barely acknowledged the other Scott.

"Tristy!" Lela squealed, hugging him by the neck, "We finally manage to sit together at lunch, did your football buddies and your nerd worshippers dump you already?"

"Please Lela Vanilla," Tristan mocked her; Lela gasped, and hit in the in the arm, "You're the one who feels so elevated from all of us you barely do something else than paint and spend time with Ryan," Tristan threw Ryan a side look, but his cheeky expression told her it wasn't serious.

"Hey, it's not my fault Lela Vanilla here has come to extremely adore me in such a short amount of time, am I right Lels?" she told the other girl, who just grimaced at the use of her disgusting childhood name. Damn it, Tristan.

Ryan sat beside Lydia, and took out whatever baked good Haley had packed for her in the morning, today it was a cinnamon bun.

"So Lydia Bob, do you know if we have to be home for dinner today?" she wondered, making sure her tone was friendly enough.

Lydia made the attempt to ignore her, but gave into the conversation, as she smelled the cinna-bun lying in the table.

"Dad's cooking tonight," she responded, uninterestedly, "I don't think you'd like to miss it, though, he's making his famous prime rib."

"The image of Nathan wearing an apron does sounds worth the afternoon, I never imagined he cooked."

"He did it a lot when we were young and mom had a lot to do in the studio… mind if I take a piece of your bun?"

Ryan grabbed her food and put it in Lydia's hand.

"Take it all if you want, I'm not hungry," Ryan told her, smiling tightly. It'd been ten minutes and counting of them interaction, and so far nothing had gone wrong.

Lydia took a bite and sighed; her mom made the best sweets ever.

"You barely eat, even at home," Lydia, commented, eying her aunt's skinny body, "Are you anorexic or something?"

Okay, the ten-minute mark was suddenly down to zero again, but Ryan was to at ease to put effort on being mad.

"I've never been used to eating a lot, niece-y," she answered, "Not all of us grew up with a full fridge 24/7," Ryan sensed the rest of the table lighten down with her words, so she added, "But hey, that way I just need a little bit of gym time and bam! Iron abs!"

After an awkward silence, a deep, seductive voice broke filled the air.

"I can't complain about your weird eating habits then, can I?" Jude Baker made his triumphant entrance, coming out of the teen crowd that swarmed the school's yard, "'Cause that body? Damn it."

Ryan held back her instant snarky remark, and instead walked towards him, stopping to leave a considerable distance between the two of them.

"Is my body always in your thoughts Beatle Boy?" she wondered, earning some giggles from Lela, "'Cause, y'know, if it's so difficult for you to control your libido I can just gift you some pictures, and that way you won't seem like a drooling fool every time you see me."

Jude scoffed, rolling his eyes at Ryan, and sat down with Tristan, who, same as Lela, laughed at loud.

"Damn, Scott! I adore you," Tristan exclaimed, "Please don't ever stop saying things like that okay? Dude, you have definitely met your burning match."

Ryan blushed a bit, and tried poorly to hide it, getting noticed by Jude, who smirked, and turned to Lydia.

"So Bob, what's up with Logan?"

So far, Ryan had seen her niece being happy, being somber, and being a bitch, but she'd never seen her get so red and nervous as she became in that exact moment.

"What's up with who now?" she asked nonchalantly, taking a sip from her drink.

"Um, Logan Evans maybe? As if you knew anyone else with the same name," Jude said, not noticing the uncomfortable look Lydia sported, or the lack of perkiness in Tristan's face regarding Lydia's reaction.

"Oh right, that Logan, what about him," she quickly responded, twirling a strand of her curly hair.

"Well I overheard a certain Brooke Davis talking on the phone to aunt Quinn and pointing out the fact that even though school already started Logan's been down here at least twice in the past two weeks, and well him being your cousin I thought…" Lydia interrupted Jude abruptly.

"Okay first, I'm not someone up for gossiping because I don't care for other's dirty laundry as much as you do, and second and most important, he's not my freaking cousin, got it? Good." The petite brunette finished her ranting sharply, stood from the table, and left everyone wondering what had gotten to the tiny spitfire this time around.

"Okay someone forgot to take her Xanax this morning," Lela mused, changing everyone's attention towards her.

"I didn't know she hated Logan that much," Jude mentioned, "Last thing I knew they got along just fine."

"Maybe she actually feels the opposite of hate towards him," Ryan added, earning a scowl from Tristan, and another scoff from Jude.

"You think Lydia likes Logan? That's impossible, I mean, he's her brother's best friend, and she's practically his little sister, they grew up together… oh," Jude finally realized the meaning behind his words, and cracked a grin, "Damn it, Lyds got the hots for him! Oh this is great she's never gonna hear the end of this."

"I don't think it'd be a good idea to tease her about it, after all, she does seem kind of touchy about speaking of him," Tristan said, looking over the direction Lydia took.

"Well, I'll question my mom about it later, she'll spill the beans really easily," Jude said mostly to himself, and suddenly grabbed his phone, which wouldn't stop ringing. He answered in a second.

"Jude here. Oh, hey Mars, what's up… do I really have to? But it's my next week's only free period and you know how do I like to spend my free periods…. Oh,…. I see.. well in that case, count me in.. perfect, see ya," the brunet hung up the called with a pleased look on his face, and turned to Tristan.

"Guess who's the new judge for the dance team trials!" he said smugly, and Lela faked gagged.

"Another poor excuse for girls to lower their expectations and throw themselves at you," Lela replied, "Isn't it right honey... Honey?"

But Ryan had taken off also, looking in the poster board the singing sheet for the dance team trials, and decidedly, singing her name on the last place available, smirk in face, and the plan to humiliate Marcie in her own territory forming already in her mind.


End file.
